Making Peace
by UnsightlyDreams
Summary: It began with an accident. It ends in pure chaos. Well, fate is fate and destiny can't really be altered. OC.
1. Chapter 1

Once, in a fit of childishness, I had accused my parents of giving me too normal a life. I had laughed, lived, loved (or at least tried to) till the age of twenty-two, and despite every happiness that came my way; I called it a boring life. To counter the impotent rage that assaulted me every time I thought of my continued existence, I buried myself in books, TV shows, manga… So I contended myself with crying with my characters, identifying myself in them… Often, I dreamt of _being_ with them. Sometimes, the urge to enter a show was so large, so all-consuming, that I even dreamt of a storyline that would fit me right in.

To be honest, I have spent nights staring up at the ceiling, wondering what God I should pray to such that he would let me enter a world that was not my own.

Then one perfectly ordinary morning, when I rushed out of the house, I had an accident.

I've always been a model student. Even though I spent my days living in a fantasy world of my own making, I've always been smart enough to get the grades - to focus on the future. It was an ingrained instinct in me. So, when at twenty-two, a truck came straight at me, my first thought, predictably enough, was: _If I knew this was going to happen, I would've seen more TV._

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die.

If I'm honest, something did flash – and it wasn't my life.

One moment, I was standing in the middle of the road, holding my bag and papers, clutching the spine of my medical textbook almost desperately, and in the next, I wasn't there anymore. My fingers grappled at open air. Instead, something else kept my gaze open wide.

I was in a room, somewhere - _anywhere_, I didn't even notice. What I did realize was that someone was hurt.

I snapped into action. The old woman before me let out a groan, mumbling a few inaudible words as she rolled over the bed. My steps were fast – but as soon as I touched her, my hand barely grazing past her wrinkled skin, something _snapped_. It was as if something was touching my very soul, causing me to arch my back in a soundless scream as pure pain exploded right behind my eyes. Sharp splinters of something ran through my blood, rushing through my heart, and suddenly – so suddenly, I felt it recede, leaving behind a gasping me.

First, there was a change.

Then, there was comprehension.

Energy rushed through my veins – energy that could be tapped at an instant of my saying. Even then, despite the fact that the energy was pure, and possibly had a lingering taste of chocolate, it wasn't enough. My body was adapting to it, but it still wasn't _used_ to it. My joints creaked – something even snapped somewhere.

_Chakra_.

I don't know how or where or what caused that thought to occur. For one moment, I just stood, mouth hanging wide as I observed the pile of kunai and shuriken lying in a box in the corner of this circular room. Then I fixed my gaze on the old woman who was staring at me almost calculatingly.

"You're not hurt," I said slowly, in pure English.

What came out of her mouth though, was pure Japanese. "I do not understand."

Obligingly, I switched languages – it was almost too easy. I had been studying Japanese since I had picked up my first manga. It was convenient, and I liked the way Japanese rolled out of my mouth. I repeated my previous sentence.

Her eyes cleared. "No," she snapped irritably, "I'm not injured. I'm just old."

I was at a loss for words. Thankfully, she continued – "Where did you come from anyway? I haven't seen you before."

My mouth opened before I could even think it through, and then promptly snapped shut. I closed my eyes. "I don't remember."

Feigning amnesia was almost too easy.

Her eyes narrowed.

"How did you enter my house?"

I shrugged apathetically. "Don't know."

"Name?"

Ah, here was where I paused. I could give myself a new name. A new _Japanese_ name. Hiragana and Katakana rushed past my head as I strove to take two random words and join them together. My real, very non Japanese name wouldn't work here, obviously. It was a good thing green eyes and brown hair were common everywhere.

"Shizuka," I said finally, quite pleased with it, "Shizuka Yagami."

"Ano, Shizuka-san, how do you expect to survive here if you don't remember anything?"

Before my very eyes, the old woman's lips quirked mischievously. "How open are you to working for me?"

* * *

At first, I imagined I would be in Konoha. The notion was dispelled quite successfully when I stepped out of the cottage and saw a small village unfurl before me. I'm not quite sure how I felt about that. The chakra in the air, in people, in everything called out to me. It seemed I could be a good sensor. Obviously I wasn't cut out to be a kunoichi though. One look at my very soft hands and unscarred body coupled with a severe lack of stamina would make the fact quite open to everyone.

Old Rukia Matsuda was the woman who had given me passage in her home. In the beginning, I was suspicious – she knew nothing about me, apart from the fact that I had apparent memory loss or the thought that I wore weird clothes. My jeans stood out, as did my leather jacket. But she ignored it.

In fact, I often caught her humming happily.

It increased drastically when she saw me writing in my journal – something I had borrowed off her in a pretext of wanting to learn how to write. It was most untrue. I wrote in English and what I wrote was Naruto's story as I knew it. The end of the war, Sasuke's intervention and subsequent pardon, Kakashi coming back… the _deaths_. I wrote about personal characteristics, I outlined the strengths, the weaknesses, the powers they all had.

Of course, I didn't just write. I worked for the old lady. I chopped wood, made food for her (under her strict guidance), I even washed clothes.

All in all, it wasn't a bad life. Something that was cemented by the chakra exercises I undertook.

_A meld of spiritual and physical_, I wrote one day, _which means that this has always existed in my body. I just could never use it back in my world._

_My_ world.

It was odd to be here. It felt weirder still when I spied Bingo books and saw names in it. Often, I ran my fingers down the sharp edges of kunai and shuriken, and when I asked the old woman why she had them, she gave me her most mysterious smile and ambled off.

It was strange.

Like Sakura, I found that I could easily walk on trees and water. It took barely a moment of concentration for me to call the chakra to that particular tenkutsu – in fact, sometimes; I could even call the chakra to my fingers. It pooled into my hands in a bright yellow color, making me cringe when I saw it. I hated the color yellow.

_Medic_-nin.

The thought was whispered insidiously one day, it crept into the recesses of my brain and stayed there. I was a medical student in my world. It made sense to continue that path here. When I mentioned it in passing to the old woman, she took one look at me, and that's when my lessons started.

She taught me about herbs.

Lots and lots and lots of herbs. Day after day I spent trudging in the nearby forest, trying to find that particular herb she had described. When I mentioned how hard it was to walk so much, she gave me one irritated look and said, "Brat, use your chakra."

I blinked.

From my theory, I knew that children in the Academy subconsciously used chakra to fuel their muscles. But they were kids – I was a twenty-three year old woman. Wasn't it a little too late?

But I didn't mention that to Obaa-chan. Instead, I took her advice. Life became a lot less tiring.

Honestly though, I was waiting. I refused to believe I had been brought into this world to stay like a civilian in an old, forgotten village.

I was waiting for clarity.

* * *

**A/N: I really, really wanted to do a Dreaming of Sunshine-esque thing. But ah - it's been done. So. **

**Reviews are much appreciated and will help me decide if I want to continue this.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Rukia-san," I said softly, tiptoeing on my feet to make the minimum noise possible. In recognition, the old woman turned over in her bed. Her eyes glinted irritably … "Would you like me to collect wood today?"

"Don't you always have to?"

I nodded respectfully, quickly exiting the house before she could put another burden on my shoulders. My green eyes surveyed the far-reaching forest on the way. Every step I took was muffled by the stray leaves on the ground and even as I walked, I knew autumn had arrived. It had crept upon us like a lethal shadow, hiding itself amidst the natural foliage and turning everything green into brown-streaked pale imitations of itself.

It had been a month since I had arrived here. A month filled with coming-to-terms with the impossible and a month covered by reading. Baa-chan had informed me about how literally no self-respecting shinobi ever stopped on his way in the village – it was too small and served no practical purpose. We had no shops that even catered to their elite lifestyle.

From my discreet questions, I gathered that we were in the Land of Fire. The fact was confirmed by the constant heat, the overbearing sun and the complete lack of civilization around us. Often, I dreamt of leaving the village behind and simply striding forward in an effort to find Konoha. Whenever that thought occurred, another voice in my head would pipe up and remind me just how dangerous being in the wild area could be. I wasn't a ninja. Ergo, I really could die so easily.

My chakra exercises had helped me tremendously. Rukia-san said I was a natural sensor and chakra control specialist, but I knew it was because chakra itself was so foreign to me that I couldn't help but treat it as an extended limb which functioned only when I directed it to. My brown hair stirred lightly in the breeze as I picked up the axe, spreading my thoughts through the forest through sheer habit in an effort to pick up any foreign chakra – anything that would help me find some character I knew of.

And for the first time in the month, the trees responded.

_Something_ was in the forest – something with chakra reserves so large that I was almost scared of creeping up to it. For a few minutes, I toyed with the idea of leaving it alone, but some part of me absolutely refused – the part that loved the anime show so much that it couldn't help but squeal at the thought of meeting some genuine character. To top that, I had a huge axe in my hands. _I can defend myself,_ I told my shaking legs firmly, forcing them through the twisted trees and quiet bushes. I shoved the thought of how strong that something even was to have such large reserves to the corner of my mind. The metaphorical door was slammed shut.

_It's a stupid idea_, my conscience tried to dissuade me, _and you could die_.

I ignored it, thanking the stars for the fact that my steps were so muted in the quiet area – and veered sharply to the right. It was then that I noticed _four_ chakra signatures.

And before I could even think it through properly, I stepped forward, blinking at the sight that greeted me.

"Kakashi-sensei!" A blonde-haired ball of pure energy moaned, throwing his hands into the air, "– are you going to teach us something awesome or not?"

"Be quiet, Naruto," A short pinkette hissed at her fellow student, smashing her tiny hand into the blonde's shoulder and making him stumble, "Can't you see Sensei is thinking?"

"But Sakura-chan~!" Naruto howled into the air, jumping up and down as he rubbed his shoulder furiously. His antics sent him right to the corner of the little group, and in a moment of carelessness, he stumbled forward, straight into a raven-haired, straight backed little boy. His eyes snapped up as if he had just remembered that the boy even existed. "Sasuke-teme! Tell Kakashi-sensei to teach us something awesome!"

"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke muttered, pushing the young blonde on the floor with one strategically placed finger on his chest.

In all the drama that I was observing with wide eyes, I failed to notice that there was a very tall, white-haired ninja currently standing right in front of me, one eye crinkled in a half-smile. "Yo," he greeted casually.

I screeched in response. The axe in my hand was raised with an alarming speed that surprised even me. My eyes were glued tight and my heart was pounding against my ribcage distressfully as I swung the machete forward, hoping to incapacitate the freak who had sent my blood levels soaring.

It never reached, obviously. One hand wrapped itself around mine quickly, pressing my fingers till I let go of the axe. It fell to the floor with a loud thud as I recoiled, jerking my fingers from the terrifying grip because it hurt just so much.

Kakashi didn't let go.

"Ouch, ouch," I squeaked, hopping from one foot to the other in an effort to dislodge his snake-like grip on my hands, "that hurts, you idiot, let go!"

"I'm sorry," he said mildly through his mask, "but you were trying to hurt me." His fingers loosened.

"You scared me!" I snapped back, retreating a few steps to cradle my bruised fingers. A quick glance at them confirmed that there were now red fingerprints on my hands. The view made me wince slightly. "It was simply self-defense!"

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, opting to stand behind the older jounin and tilt her head to the side to observe me with wide green eyes, "Who is she?"

"Why don't you ask her, Sakura?" There was a hint of steel in his voice. I was suddenly reminded of who exactly he was.

_I don't know whether to squeal loudly and fangirl,_ a voice whispered in my head, _or run away screaming as fast as possible._

"Who are you, Miss?" The pinkette asked politely, eyes fixed firmly on my face.

I twitched. "Aa, I'm Yagami Shizuka. I live nearby."

"Pleased to meet you, Yagami-san. I'm Sakura."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, running forward such that he was now standing right next to Kakashi, "Introduce us too! I'm Naruto and I'm going to be Hokage someday. Dattebayo!" He gave me a wide smile and thumbs up.

Even though I didn't want them to, the corner of my lips quirked. He was just _so_ adorable. One hand shot out, grabbing the younger boy in a headlock and pulling him forward. I messed up his hair almost cheerfully. "You're so cute, Naruto-kun!" I announced, kneeling down to grab him into one big hug.

Sakura blinked and Kakashi's exposed eye twitched slightly. "That's unexpected," he said at last, prying me off the younger Naruto by grabbing my shirt collar and pulling me back. As soon as he let go, my butt landed on the ground with a loud sound. Dust swirled around me.

"You're a horrible person!" I told the Copy-ninja, giving him my dirtiest look. He hardly looked fazed.

"While it was perfectly wonderful to meet you, I'm afraid it's time for us to leave," he said.

Naruto's stunned look evaporated. "But Kakashi-sensei! You told us you were going to teach us that new jutsu!"

"Can't you see we've been compromised, dobe?" Sasuke muttered, glaring at me from beneath his bangs as if it was somehow my fault, "You know we aren't allowed to be outside the village unless we have a mission."

"Sasuke-kun is right, Naruto. Sensei can't teach us anything now that a civilian caught us."

"Hn."

"But –," Naruto's face turned towards me, "You won't tell anyone, right Shizuka-san?"

My eyes widened. "You're out of the village without authorization? How" I stood up quickly, brushing the dust from my clothes to grab the blonde again, "What if you get hurt? Who'll protect you from the monsters out there?!"

Once again, Kakashi foiled my attempts to fangirl. His grabby hands took Naruto straight out of my grip. "Thank you for your concern, Miss. But I think we should be leaving now."

My mood plummeted. There was no way – no possible way I would let actual characters of Naruto to appear before my very eyes and then disappear without as much as a by-your-leave. "Don't you dare," I hissed at the jounin, narrowing my eyes dangerously, "These poor kids are obviously underfed and have been training for hours non-stop –," Sakura self-consciously patted her hair down and sniffed discreetly at her clothing, " – and there's no way I'm letting you go without eating something," I finished triumphantly.

Kakashi blinked. I waited for the vibrant denial, another stupid excuse even though I had heard them all and clenched my fingers in anticipation of yelling at him when: "Okay, then."

I visibly deflated.

"Fine," I muttered, stomping on the ground childishly to pick up the axe, "Follow me then. And no stupid ninja tricks!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Kakashi said mildly, picking his nails with a disinterested air.

"I mean it!"

"I know." He was the picture of boredom.

"And you too, emo-boy!"

"Don't call Sasuke-kun that!"

* * *

"Naruto-kun," I said lightly, waving another onigiri in his face, "have another one! You're too thin."

Rukia-san gave me a weird look. "I would've never pegged you as the motherly type, brat."

I huffed indignantly. "I'm only twenty-two. I'm not supposed to be motherly."

From across the table, Sakura coughed. "Oh, but Shizuka-chan, most shinobi are married by the time they reach their twentieth birthday." Naruto nodded in agreement, his mouth almost obscenely full while Sasuke merely gave us all a long-suffering glare. He seemed oblivious to the quick glances Sakura paid him while she spoke.

Kakashi's eye crinkled, but when he offered no comment, I turned to him almost mercilessly. "Why, Hatake-san, I didn't know you were married."

"I'm not."

"Aa, couldn't find a woman who likes you enough to suffer your presence?"

"So it would seem."

"Maybe you're just lazy."

"Maybe," Kakashi acquiesced cheerfully.

My left eye twitched.

Naruto met my eyes confusedly. "Shizuka-chan, don't you like Kakashi-sensei?"

"No."

"Why not?" Sakura seemed scandalized at the very prospect of anyone not liking her beloved sensei.

"He refused to apologize," I said simply, picking up the empty plates. I moved to the sink. The clatter was satisfyingly loud in the silence I had left behind. When I returned, I noticed that Naruto was hanging off Kakashi's left arm, while Sakura swung sadly on his right. Sasuke sat in the corner, arms folded. Rukia-san looked at me when I entered.

"We were just discussing something important," she told me, waiting patiently till I sat down before continuing – "I think you should go with them to Konoha."

To my credit, I gave no outward response, even though a small part of me inside was doing the tango with my imaginary friend. I sipped water cautiously. "Why do you think so?"

"Well, mostly because you're not who I thought you were."

The water in my mouth was ejected a little too fast. I surfaced quickly to look at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

If she was bothered by my weird behavior, she didn't say anything. But I could see that Kakashi's back had straightened imperceptibly. Sasuke too looked a little alert. "I thought my granddaughter sent you to keep an eye on me in my old age. You're a nice girl –,"

"Thanks."

"– if a little stupid at housework. And you always burn the onigiri, brat. There's no way my Sayu would pick someone so inept to look after me."

"The onigiri was a little burnt," Kakashi supplied helpfully, ignoring my sputters of half-hearted protests.

"And the memory thing does seem a little too true. At first, I thought it was just a stupid excuse –,"

"Wait, what memory thing?" Sakura interrupted with wide-eyes. Even Sasuke looked interested in that question.

"I have amnesia," I supplied, trying to figure out if it would be easier to melt into the floor or outrun Kakashi's stupid penetrating gaze. And Naruto's pity-filled eyes. "I don't need your pity!" I snapped at them when no one said anything.

Naruto bristled. "Well, we weren't offering any!"

"Well, good!"

"As I was saying," Rukia interrupted us in a loud voice, "You should go with them. They can protect you and you can learn medicine in Konoha like you always wanted to."

"But Rukia-san~"

"Maa, but who said we'll take her with us?" Kakashi said lightly, ignoring the look of pure loathing I sent his way, "On our own, we can cover this journey in less than a day. It'll take three days for us to reach Konoha with a civilian."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura interrupted with a squeal, latching onto his arm once more. Her batting eyelashes were a little scary to behold in real life. She played the Copy-nin like a harp, and at such a young age too. "Shizuka-chan wants to learn how to help people! And maybe the medics in the hospital can help her get her memory back."

I almost felt bad for deceiving them all so thoroughly. Although, judging by the calculating look in Kakashi's eyes, I hadn't succeeded in duping them all yet. Well, it was only a matter of time.

"And she likes me too. As the future Hokage, I have to help everyone I can. I will help Shizuka-san be a medic, Dattebayo!"

Kakashi turned to the silent member of their group. "And you, Sasuke? What do you think?"

Sasuke's obsidian eyes rested on me. It felt like a heavy weight on my shoulders. "It seems too stupid a course of action for a spy to take. Also, she clearly has no formal training. I don't think it'll be any harm… And if she does try to do anything, we can always kill her."

Four pairs of eyes turned to look at me, almost daring me to contradict the statement. I raised my hands. "Peace, people." I'll be useless in a fight. Even a seven year old Naruto could kill me as easily as swatting a fly. Sober thoughts, I thought with a scowl on my face.

"Well, as long as she doesn't hold us up too much –,"

"Did you hear that, Shizuka-chan?" Naruto rounded on me before his sensei could even complete his words, "You can come to Konoha with us and then I can treat you to some good ramen!"

It's weird how things hit you at one moment. It barely takes a few roughly formed words, and suddenly, you realize where exactly you're sitting. More importantly, _whom_ you're sitting with. It was crazy enough to land in Konoha, but now that I was sitting across the Main Character and a bunch of other Super Important Characters, all I felt was a certain amount of relief.

I chalked it all up to destiny and fate. It was a useful excuse to throw away things I didn't want to think about.

* * *

Kakashi gave the younger girl an appraising glance.

Currently, the brunette was perched upon a fallen log, having successfully gathered his wayward genin team around her and drawn them into her fanciful tales. If nothing else, she certainly had a crazy imagination. His Sharingan eye twitched upon hearing Sakura squeal about '_Light'_ and '_L'_ fighting. That girl didn't need any more brooding figures to crush on, in his fine opinion.

Too bad nobody asked him this before spinning tales in front of an impressionable kid.

Sasuke lingered at the fringes of the group, but Kakashi knew he was listening intently, even if he was slouching in his typical Uchiha way. He remembered how similar Itachi had been… Best not go there tonight, though. The heel of his palm dug into his still-twitching eye uncomfortably. Some days, he didn't know whether to thank Obito for it or to strangle him using chakra enhanced fingers. Probably a bit of both, Kakashi mused lightly.

It was odd how easily Yagami Shizuka had left the cottage and her ordered life to join them in Konoha. Her farewell to Rukia-san had been awkward at best, punctuated with uncomfortable silences and an even more uncomfortable hug. The wad of money that had been pressed into her limp hands had been prevented from falling to the floor only by Naruto's quick intervention. That, and the complete lackluster outlook she had in life were the few indications of how little a threat she was.

In fact, if Kakashi was being honest, he had already dismissed her as a threat a long time ago.

Younger Kakashi would've thought it reeked of a sinister plot at how quickly she had managed to disappear from his radar, but the now-experienced ex-ANBU Copy-nin knew that she was very far from trouble.

No, she wasn't trouble. But it was highly strange how comfortable she was around them. Ninjas and civilians didn't have lasting friendships for a reason – but here, this little (he really shouldn't consider twenty-two as little though) slip of a girl was befriending a Jinchuuriki and cajoling the emo-Uchiha into accepting the food she had brightly cooked.

It was still a little burnt.

When she reached the part about Light's girlfriend and Sakura's crestfallen face, he decided that it was high-time they all slept. That in mind, he approached the girl with a single-minded focus. Icha Icha hung limply in his grip.

"Shizuka-san, I believe it is time you let your protectors sleep, lest they die of exhaustion tomorrow."

Her answering eye-roll was condescending. "Kindly do not take me for an idiot, Hatake-san. One night of fun won't take away their scary ninja capabilities." She got up fluidly. "But I suppose you're right. After all, they are kids."

"Kids that just returned from a highly stressful mission," he corrected mildly, enjoying how frustrated she looked at his intervention. He supposed she still hadn't forgiven him for not apologizing to her.

It really couldn't be helped then. It wasn't his fault. If he rubbed off her the wrong way – well, it was known to happen to quite a few people.

"And yet you were willing to have them traipse around the jungle for a little while longer on the pretext of teaching them a new trick."

"What makes you think that I didn't want to teach them something?"

The look she gave him stopped just short of patronizing. Frankly, it felt weird to see something like that from a girl four years his junior. All his shinobi juniors were highly respectful, if a little annoyed by his antics. "Aa," he said, quickly changing his tactics to turn the tables on her, "Maybe I was just waiting for you to come out of the forest. It's a little too easy to sense when someone is using chakra."

Immediately, her posture stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ano, Kakashi-sensei, civilians can't use chakra. You probably made a mistake," Sakura piped in. He noticed how interested his students were in the conversation in a matter of seconds. They were truly pitiful shinobi at this point if he could read them like an open book. He pressed one finger to the pinkette's nose, just enough to unbalance her slightly. The indignant glare she shot him was priceless.

"Sakura-chan is right, Sensei! I've never seen a civilian use chakra!"

"Hn."

Shizuka crossed her arms, her expression a mixture of defensive and smug. He had to hand it to her for managing to pull it off. "Why don't you ask Shizuka-san itself, Naruto?"

Naruto started jumping on the balls of his feet excitably. "Did you? Did you use chakra, Shizuka-chan? How was it? I thought civilians couldn't access their chakra at all. Did you get formal training –,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa – back down, kid," Yagami interjected, looking vaguely uncomfortable now. She refused to meet their eyes. "I had chakra, so I used it a little to help me in the work. Also, Rukia-san had documents regarding medic-jutsus that required chakra use. I merely learnt from them."

"Impressive," Kakashi said softly, noting how she seemed to wilt under his praise. It wasn't exactly how he expected people to respond to any sort of admiration. Carefully, he hedged in a little more just to see how she would react. "To be able to manipulate chakra after having lost your –,"

"That's enough," she snapped, one hand now pointing at him threateningly. "You don't need to look so impressed, baka. Civilian medics do this all the time. It's just that our chakra reserves and control is slightly less, so we focus on the less serious injuries."

What they were doing felt eerily familiar to an interrogation, so he let it slide. He doubted Shizuka even noticed how flustered her face looked at the moment. Her heartbeat was just that much faster and her face was scrunched up in an effort to repel all of them. It was just too bad that after spending the whole day grabbing Naruto into random hugs, she expected he would leave her alone after it.

As if he knew what Kakashi was thinking, Naruto glomped the older female, jumping on her and sending her staggering into the ground. He fired question after question, ignorant to how red Yagami's face was. Idly, Kakashi counted the seconds after which she would explode.

She lasted for three.

"Listen, kid, you're cute and all, but I just want to roll into a corner and pitifully die for a few hours, alright? Just leave me alone, dammit!"

Upon seeing Naruto's hurt face, she hastily backtracked. "Look," she sighed, tapering her fingers together, "I'm just not in the mood to talk right now, Naruto-kun. That baka-sensei of yours –," here, she gave him a scathing look, "– reminded me of things I'd rather forget. Or bury into a deep corner and explore only after my grave has been dug."

Ah, so that was the reason for her sudden reticence. Kakashi didn't quite feel guilty – he hadn't for years, and he wasn't going to start now for some flowery girl – but she was a _civilian_. He looked at her critically.

They were all kids pretending to be grown-ups.

* * *

"Shizuka-chan, that expression makes you look constipated."

I snapped out of my dreamy stare immediately, smacking the back of Naruto's head with a satisfyingly loud thud. The blonde squeaked in protest.

"What was that for, you insane woman?" he growled, rubbing his hair in a decidedly nonchalant fashion. It was supremely unfair how it simply flopped back into place. If I tried that, my hair would have tangles for at least a _week_.

"Appreciate the view, idiot," I told him superiorly, casting a lazy eye over the shining fields filled with blooming flowers. They were odd flowers to be blooming in autumn for sure, but… so pretty! Standing right next to me, Sakura nodded her approval. Nobody missed her longing glance towards Sasuke – well, nobody apart from Sasuke that is. He just went on ignoring her.

_That simply won't do_, I decided.

"Oh, Sasuke~," I crowed cheerfully, relishing in his slight wince of disapproval, "It is the duty of a nice man to get flowers for all the women in the room."

"I'm not a nice man," the kid deadpanned.

"He's right, Shizuka-chan. Teme barely even qualifies as a man," Naruto snickered into his hands. Predictably, Sasuke stiffened, turning towards Naruto with his fist raised.

"What did you say, dobe?"

"You heard me, teme. You can't even do simple manly things like pick out flowers – "

"I can pick out better flowers than you!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Naruto shouted, hands on his hips. "I'm the best flower-picker, Dattebayo!"

And off they went. Sakura met my bemused eyes with a careless shrug. "They're always like that."

"Yes," I muttered, already turning away in the wake of their destruction, "I guessed that." I opted to stare at the glaringly orange book in Kakashi's hands instead. The cover was nothing phenomenal, but I swear to God every fangirl tendency in me was simply begging to run over there and sate my curiosity. It was in moments like this that a future is made or broken. Basically, it was now the time to see if Kakashi was really as observant as portrayed in the manga.

I stealthily sneaked up behind him –

The book was slammed shut.

I let out a sigh. It was just as well that I wasn't too hopeful. This man was an _elite_ jounin. His expectant face made me grimace… "Just checking to see if you were being cautious and all," I said unconvincingly, "I don't want to die because the only adult ninja here was too busy reading perverted books."

Kakashi's exposed eye rolled over to rest on my face. "How do you know it's a perverted book?"

"Naruto might've mentioned it a few hundred times…" I trailed off weakly.

"I see I'll have to have a talk with him about leaking ninja secrets."

"Don't bother. I doubt your Bingo Book entry could become any more intimidating anyway. _'Flee on sight. Major pervert approaching'_."

"I didn't know you read Bingo Books. Only shinobi are interested in those."

I shrugged apathetically, slyly inching my fingers towards the book hanging limply on his arm, "It helped pass the time."

Once again, Kakashi cheerfully pushed the book away from my fingers. Honestly, this man… "You'll have to do better than this to be able to steal _my_ book. It's a signed copy."

"It's just a book…"

"And aren't you a little too young to be reading this anyway?" Kakashi continued as if he hadn't heard my mutters at all.

Promptly, I scowled. "I'll have you know, I'm twenty-two."

His eye casually roved over my body. "Doesn't look it from where I'm standing."

Before I could erupt and throw my slipper at Kakashi's annoyingly blank face, a bunch of flowers were thrust under my nose. The flowers were attached to a hand and the hand was attached to… Sasuke?

Said boy gave me a superior look, almost daring me to not accept them.

Quietly, I took them from his hands. Sasuke looked relived, and obviously that was when I pounced.

"Aw, Sasuke-kun, you're so cute!"

* * *

**A/N: A few reviews would be nice. *sighs***


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm so tired…." I lamented into the open air, my feet dragging across the ground in a movement reminiscent of a turtle. My legs _ached. _Every step I took sent a throb of agony shooting down my muscles. My meager supplies had long since disappeared and I was basically running on those horrible protein bars that ninja preferred to eat during missions. Trust me; they tasted as bad as they looked.

"Suck it up," Sasuke growled. He was in-charge of making sure I didn't fall behind. When Kakashi had made that insinuation, I had reacted sharply with an insult – now I saw the wisdom behind his words. The thought made me snort. I was finding wisdom in _Kakashi's_ words. The world might be ending.

"Don't be so mean, brat, you know I'm just a poor little civilian~." Sasuke's forehead twitched slightly. It was beautiful to look at.

"Hn."

"What did you say?"

I was greeted with a bland stare. The meaning behind his eyes was clear: _Shut up or I'll make you shut up._

Hastily, I backtracked. Even though I knew Naruto and Sakura would try to protect me from Sasuke's little genin wrath, I wasn't completely sure which way Kakashi would swing. In the best case scenario, he would hang back and read Icha Icha. In the worst, he would prod Sasuke on.

_You're being a little harsh_; a voice whispered insidiously in my head, _he isn't that bad_.

No, he wasn't really that bad. I glanced at the jounin, remembering what exactly had put me off him immediately.

I was irritated with how easily he dismissed Naruto and Sakura.

He focused so much on the younger Uchiha. In fact, he laid all his eggs in that basket and look at how that turned out. Sakura grew up with bad self-esteem, Naruto was a little too dense to realize, but the kid must've felt something. It wasn't until Jiraiya came over to whisk him away into his world that the blonde even had someone to look into his abilities and help him become a better ninja. He was a decent teacher, but he never really honestly put his heart into it, did he?

Yes, his life was screwed up. Yes, he killed his teammate and left his other one to die. Yes, his dad was accused for something that wasn't even his fault and it led to his suicide. But even then, the Copy-nin must've known there were people out to get a Jinchuuriki and the Uchiha.

"You seem to be thinking very hard, Shizuka-chan," Sakura offered hesitantly, stepping into place next to me. Her green eyes were wide and guileless. Pink hair fluttered slightly in the breeze. Against my own accord, I felt my hands reach out to her, pulling her into a hug.

Human comfort. The best there is.

"I'm just a little sad today, Sakura," I told her quietly, keeping my voice low so as to not alert the other ninja.

"Why?"

"Well… I'm remembering a few things, I suppose."

Emerald orbs widened. "Do you remember anything important?"

"No," I said, "I just remember that I wasn't really happy. I didn't have many friends, I think." My eyes rolled upwards to contemplate the wan sky. "I just trudged past life back then… I think this is another opportunity."

_Will you try to help them?_

_No. It is not my place._

"That's sad…" Sakura muttered, forehead scrunched up in worry.

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past. Honestly, I look forward to the future."

"Shizuka-chan! Shizuka-chan!" Naruto shouted from a few miles ahead, "Come here quickly! I've got something to show you!"

I increased the speed of my steps. A few minutes later, I stood next to Naruto, contemplating the vast area with wide eyes. "Is that…?"

"Aa, it's Konoha."

"Wow…" I said a little breathily, leaning forward to get a better look. The village sprawled from one end to the other. It was huge, simply put. In the far distance, I spied the Hokage Tower - it stood out like a sore thumb amongst the stone structure. In my excitement, I took another step forward, ignoring Naruto's panicked warning.

My foot slipped.

It felt as if I was watching everything in slow motion.

Harsh pieces of earth squealed below my slippers, breaking apart into little cracks that became bigger fractures in a movement faster than the eye could follow. My balance was broken. My hands flailed in the air uselessly, trying to find purchase somewhere in an effort to stop my descent down the upturned land. Already the trip down felt a lot like death.

And then, abruptly, one hand grabbed the back of my shirt, yanking me back to safety.

I stumbled back, unable to keep my balance long enough to avoid the collision with my savior. He must've been caught off guard by my clumsiness, because scarcely had his arm wrapped around mine when we both went falling again. My elbow went straight into a very hard stomach and there was a loud '_oof'_ behind me. Thankfully, I didn't quite land on top of him, though it was a close shave.

"H-Hatake-san," I stuttered, scrambling upright with my face redder than a tomato's… "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you…!"

"Do give me some credit," he wheezed from the floor, one hand cradling his stomach. He looked winded. "You can never really manage to hurt me, Shizuka-san."

My eyes narrowed. "Why, you little –,"

"You should thank Sensei, Shizuka-chan," Sakura said, easily sidling next to me, "He saved your life."

I was reduced to being lectured in manners by a kid who _stalked_ one of her fellow teammates. My left eye twitched.

"Hn."

"It was so cool!" Naruto crowed, peeking down the ravine to stare at the now ruined land, "You screamed like a little girl and Sensei closed his book and reached you so _fast_ –,"

Hang on, I don't remember screaming.

"– And then he just pulled you back to safety! Just like that!"

Sakura poked my arm. "Thank Sensei, Shizuka-chan."

Feeling outnumbered, I let out a long-suffering sigh. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes before opening my mouth though. "Thank y – You're already back to reading that stupid book?!" I screeched at Kakashi, who stood a little way off, immersed in his Icha Icha novel. Upon hearing my high-pitched shriek, he looked up lazily.

"Maa, what's with all that noise?"

"Shizuka-chan wants to thank you, Sensei," Sakura muttered when I refused to say anything. He bore my indignant glower expectantly. When I didn't say anything, he slowly turned back to his book.

Sakura gave me a wounded look.

I sighed helplessly. My feet took me all the way to stand next to Kakashi, who merely raised his head again and met my eyes.

I dropped his gaze. "Thank you, Hatake-san." My voice was resigned.

"Don't worry about it," Kakashi said. Something sneakily went up to my head, and before I knew it, my hair was being mussed around by a particularly heavy hand.

I let out a frustrated scream. "Not the hair, you asshole!"

"Now, now, is that the way to thank the man who saved your life?"

"I'll show you life, you baka –,"

"Shizuka-chan!" Sakura squealed in an offended tone when I chucked the stone languishing in my hand at her Sensei's face. To be fair, it didn't even hit him. He just casually sidestepped it, all the while immersed in his Icha Icha.

God, he was infuriating.

* * *

"How much further?" Naruto wailed, hands thrown up in the air helplessly. I gave him an approving look, one which he returned vigorously. The rest of them ignored us. This was the fifth time Naruto had asked that question.

"Not much, Naruto," Sakura sighed; her steps measured and smooth, even as my own knees buckled between strides. I didn't quite know what to feel. A kid had more stamina than me – although, I supposed I should just roll with it. They don't expect much from civilians here. A fact that was reconfirmed when Kakashi almost never complained when I lagged behind. Instead, he set Sasuke on me.

Sasuke's methods of making me walk faster were brutal.

I rubbed the back of my neck worriedly. The sky had fallen into a deep darkness, and Kakashi was showing no signs of stopping. Instead, the man forged straight on, nose still buried in that infernal book of his. I half-heartedly wondered how he could even read in the dark, knowing that if I asked, he'd cite the reason as '_ninja secrets'_. Poor guy didn't know that I knew almost all of them, I snickered to myself.

Maybe he just doesn't want to talk to us, I thought next. Pondering over it made the thought seem quite realistic. Kakashi was anti-social to a fault. He was lucky he was so strong – most people don't tolerate being insulted so passive-aggressively every day.

"Sensei!" Naruto finally snapped, stepping into his path with a determined air. "We need to stop. It's dark and we should make camp before Shizuka-chan faints on the road."

Briefly, I entertained the notion of being offended at how Naruto had easily pointed me out as the weakest link. Instantly, I ignored it. He was _right_, I was close to fainting.

"Maa…" Kakashi drawled, finally gracing us with his face by raising his head, "It's dark already?"

"It's been dark for the past four hours, Sensei."

"I suppose you're right, Sakura-chan."

"I _am_ right…" Sakura growled lowly.

_Careful, girl, your Inner Sakura is showing._

In a blink of the eye, Kakashi's book disappeared into his belt. "Sasuke, go scout the perimeter. Naruto, lay some standard traps. Sakura, you're going to find us some wood for the fire."

Naruto pouted. "And what're you going to do?"

Kakashi's smiling face turned to me. At least, I think he was smiling. The mask really doesn't let on much. "I'm guarding her," he said, jabbing a finger at me.

"No," I deadpanned, "You're going to read your perverted book."

Kakashi shrugged easily, "Guilty as charged."

"And anyway, who's going to come after me? The birds and the bees?"

Sakura's face burned crimson. "S-Shizuka-chan!" she squealed, eyes darting left and right.

Immediately, I blinked. "You've had that talk already?"

"Of course!"

"They grow up so fast…"

Sasuke scowled at me, turning flat on his heel to leave us alone. Naruto bounded after him, and Sakura followed, cheeks still burning brightly in the dark. Shrugging, I turned to Kakashi. "So who told them? You?"

Kakashi, meanwhile, had settled against a tree. Surprisingly enough, there was no orange book in his hands. Maybe he couldn't read in the dark after all? "Told them what?"

"You know –," I said, waving my hands in the air for emphasis, "About birds and bees?"

"About _what_?"

"Are you playing dumb on purpose?"

"No," he said, eyes returning to scanning the area around us. I huffed in response. He was being laconic on purpose. Anti-social bastard.

I ended up sitting pretty close to him though. Whether I liked him or not, I was antsy about my personal safety. And he technically was the safest thing to be around for miles. As if he knew what I was thinking, Kakashi's eye wandered to me. His mask twitched slightly, as if he was silently suppressing a laugh. Pointedly, I looked away, settling to wait for Naruto and the rest to come back.

They were a lot better company, despite being more than half his age.

* * *

"We're here," Sakura announced, eyes darting to Shizuka to see her reaction. Kakashi observed her a lot more subtly. Her eyes were very wide, as if she was seeing something she never thought she'd see. Faintly, she raised her hand and touched the stone house as they passed, as though trying to reassure herself it was real.

The next moment, she ran straight into a pole.

Civilians, Kakashi thought a little exasperatedly, grabbing her by the arm to haul her up. They all had a clumsy streak that ran a mile wide – coupled with a complete lack of self-preservation. It was evident from how easily Yagami had left her cushy life back in the village to come here that she definitely lacked both.

Said girl gave him a semi-grateful glance, looking torn between wanting to be happy at being pulled up to being furious at how easily he had left bruises on her arm yet again. Kakashi felt like tutting disapprovingly. It was something he hadn't felt like doing since he had observed Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke. She was too delicate.

Ah, never mind, he thought next, rolling his eyes over to observe the Hokage Tower. They still had to give their report, and considering how their mission had went, it wouldn't be an easy one. Tazuna's betrayal, coupled with Naruto's awakening power were both something that needed to reach the Third as quickly as possible. Upon observing his team, he realized that they all looked a little shifty and worried. Well, that wouldn't do at all.

"Shizuka-san," he said to the bewildered civilian, "This is where we part. We need to report to the Hokage."

The girl raised her eyes. "Of course, Hatake-san," she said, "Thank you for bringing me here. And for helping me at the gate."

If Hatake Kakashi had been a lesser man, he would've sighed. As such, he settled with giving her a steely look. "Don't make me regret it."

He watched with mild interest at how her back straightened. Something glinted deeply in her green eyes. "Of course not. See you Naruto, Sakura. You too, Sasuke."

His genin team waved at the girl, all barring Sasuke.

"Don't forget to see a medic about your memory, Shizuka-chan!"

She smiled at that, but it fell quickly.

She looked worried.

Deciding that it was none of his business, Kakashi casually pushed his hands into his pants, striding forward determinedly.

He never looked back even once.

* * *

I rubbed my face into my hands, opting to not stare at their retreating backs. I had been so lucky to have found them, I mused, shuddering at the memory of the gate guards. My lack of papers had almost led to me being dragged to T&I, had Kakashi not intervened. It was one of those few moments that he behaved seriously. Once he had outlined my lack of memory, how he had picked me up, and (the thought still made my cheeks burn) how useless I was at being subtle or walking in a straight line without messing that up somehow, even the Chuunin guarding the gates had looked at me more warmly.

A few papers were filed, I was given a new Identity Card, and I was then officially a citizen of Konoha. It seemed they were so used to getting refugees even years after the war that nobody even blinked twice at the thought of unleashing me into the village.

My steps were unhurried. Honestly, where could I go? I suppose the first step was to find a new apartment, but I had no one to ask. A few hours later, I found myself slumped over a park bench, feeling quite miserable. My lunch had been a stick of dango, and a few pointed questions had led me nowhere to finding an apartment at all. "You'll be hard-pressed to find a house in the civilian district," an old man had informed me happily, cajoling me to accept another dango stick from his stand. When I finally accepted, he continued, "People here are a suspicious lot. Your only hope is to look in those shinobi apartments. The landlords will give you one for a lesser fee too!"

When I had inquired as to why that was the case, he leaned forward conspiratorially, "Well, we civilians are easier to host, I suppose. These ninja come with the troubles of house traps and random explosions into the night. Also, there's almost no privacy. They all seem to have the ears of a cat."

"My life is so pathetic," I moaned into the wood, uncaring of the weird looks I was garnering. A few children milled about, playing on the swings. Their childlike laughter was grating my ears, annoying as I was.

Making up my mind, I stood up suddenly, the blood rushing to my head. It made me sway on my feet.

_I_ _will find an apartment by tonight, no matter what happens,_ I decided, resisting the urge to say Dattebayo in the end. I absolutely refused to let Naruto's annoying tics become mine.

The Shinobi district wasn't remarkable different for the civilian area, but I suppose it was noticeable enough. Blurs of people jumped past the roofs. I tried spotting them with my eye, but they were just too fast. The only reason I could even 'see' them was my chakra sensitivity. If I concentrated enough, I was even able to separate the signatures. A sudden grin formed on my face – it was a useful trick to have.

"Excuse me," I said politely, "– but the sign outside said you have an apartment to rent."

The man I had asked looked up from his cluttered desk. His face morphed into suspicion. "Are you a ninja?"

"No."

"Oh, that's brilliant," he exhaled in relief, standing up, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Daichi Ruka."

"Yagami Shizuka," I offered in return, stepping into his office. The door automatically shut behind me. It made a thudding sound.

"What sort of apartment are you looking for, Yagami-san?"

"Just Shizuka will be fine. As for an apartment… The cheap kind," I said honestly, widening my eyes a bit for extra innocence. It seemed to work, for his eyes softened.

"I have just the apartment," he intoned, stepping aside, "– but I'll let you know, we have ninjas who live in this building." His tone was apologetic. I felt like rolling my eyes.

"I don't mind, to be honest."

"Oh, good, good. If you'll just follow me –,"

It was awesome. The poor guy was so worried that no civilian would want to live in that building – and he most definitely didn't want the headache of leasing it out to yet another ninja that he agreed to lower his price to the minimum. The money Rukia-san had given me tided me over for the month and the deposit, but it left quite a dent. I would have to find a job soon, if I wanted to live comfortably.

Thankfully, the apartment was fully furnished.

I twirled in it, marveling the difference between my lives. One moment, I was dying – and the next, I was in a fictional world. It'd be a big lie if I said that I didn't expect to wake up from coma, realizing I had dreamt the whole thing – but till I was here, I wanted to roll with it. How many nights had I spent hoping I could simply jump into another world? Although Naruto wouldn't quite be my first choice, what with all the deaths and the scary ninja-powers, but living as a civilian should help me ride it out.

Hopefully.

I shoved the morbid thoughts away quickly.

At best, the first few things I would have to do were to stay away from the Main Characters and the Supporting Side Characters. Easy enough. I doubt I'd meet Naruto anywhere apart from Ichiraku and I wasn't touching the training grounds even with a ten-foot pole. The Uchiha land lay far away from where I now lived, or so I learned. Sakura had civilian parents, I think, so that shouldn't be an issue. I couldn't resist fan-girling when I first saw them, and they had been useful in getting me to what appeared to be the safest place in the whole area – but now, it would just be best to not get attached.

But how does one not get attached to characters they've literally grown up with?

One part of me wanted to go running to the Hokage's room, screaming about all I knew. Chuunin exams, Itachi's secret – oh, god, Itachi's secret – Madara, Tobi, _everything_ –

The other part wanted to crawl into a corner and simply live it up. If this was another chance at life, who said it couldn't be random?

With that in mind, I heated up the stove. Ruka-san was nice enough to lend me some groceries.

* * *

**A/N: Reviewers, thank you so much. Some more are always appreciated. *smiles widely***


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